A friend from the past
by bastet's priestess
Summary: What happens if someone you hate, turns out to be someone you once knew? (Don't read it, if you dislike Beni!) Please read&review!
1. A perfect plan

A friend from the past  
  
*** Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or it's characters, they belong to Universal Pictures, Stephen Sommers and various other people. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot. ***  
  
Heat. Nothing but heat and sand. The Sahara really doesn't have what you would call a pleasant climate. Ever since I had to join the legion, we didn't have a different kind of weather. Our garrison was stationed in Morocco, where we were waiting for further instructions. Unfortunately for us, food was getting rare 'cause the next town was twenty miles away, which is a long travel on camels. We didn't really starve here, but we couldn't eat our fill, either. It was noon, the time at which you can fry eggs on stones - if you have eggs to fry, I mean. Mh. . fried eggs . .  
  
Maybe O'Connell knew, which of the legionnaires stored food. Many of them did, so that they could sell it to exorbitant prices. Of course, I was not planning to pay for it. Hey, what was I a pick-pocket for, if not for that? Well, I wasn't the most talented one, though. Otherwise that stupid old bag wouldn't have caught me stealing her purse. She was the one, who made me join the legion. If I ever return to Hungary, she'll pay for this!  
  
OK, I was still hungry, so I had to find O'Connell. I never found out why he was in the legion, 'cause he always said, that he "was just looking for a good time", whatever he meant with that. He was a little bit strange but nevertheless quite useful. It was usually not very hard to find O'Connell. He was the one sitting between several large piles of weapons, which he cleaned, loaded or repaired. He truly loved them. It also made the others respect him, which was good for he was a corporal.  
  
"Hey, O'Connell, how are you?"  
  
"Well, apart from the heat, I'm fine. Can I help you, Jad?"  
  
He always called me "Jad", since my Hungarian name "Jadviga" was too long and too complicated. If anyone had ever called me "Jad" at home, I probably would have beaten him up. But it sounded nice, when O'Connell said it and O'Connell was also a bit too tall, to get beaten up by me..  
  
"Yes, you can help me! Do you know who's storing food at the moment? I'm hungry!"  
  
"We had lunch only an hour ago, Jad"  
  
"You know Rick, when you're small and petite, you only get the rests. And if you're among five hundred men, you get almost nothing at all."  
  
"Yeah, I know, Jad, a woman's life is not easy." he grinned, as if he had just said something incredible wise.  
  
"You betcha! So who's hoarding stuff?"  
  
"Well, we've got Scapelli, Wiprotshew, Hausmann, Fernandez."  
  
The legion consisted of men (and a few women, like myself) from countries all around the world. Most of them joined, because they had to fear execution or prison. These men were thieves, murderers, pimps or rapists. Only few of them were here for "fun" or adventure, like O'Connell. All of the guys that O'Connell named were bad boys, with which you shouldn't mess, unless you have a death wish or something.  
  
"Isn't there anybody more. harmless?"  
  
"You could try Gabor. Don't know if you know him."  
  
Gabor? I knew 20 Gabors! I came from Hungary and Gabor was a very common name there.  
  
"No, I don't think I know him."  
  
"I'll show you."  
  
O'Connell got up and started looking for that Gabor-guy. I followed him, trying to imagine, how the guy might look like. Tall, strong.. I had never met a weakling in the legion. Suddenly O'Connell stopped and beckoned me to come closer.  
  
"There he is."  
  
I followed his gaze. A small, scrawny guy with pale skin and dark hair was sitting in front of a tent. He was wearing a very thin moustache, which followed the line of his upper lip. In front of him, he had spread his little "bazaar", the things he wanted to flog. Apples, oranges, bread - nothing too fresh - and even some bottles of whisky and wine.  
  
"THAT is Gabor???"  
  
"Yep, little bastard, he is. He's always up to something. Every time I talk to him, I check that he hasn't stolen anything, afterwards. That saved my watch quite a few times."  
  
"Where did he get that stuff from? They don't give us these things at lunch."  
  
"Wouldn't it be nice, if they did? He probably stole it in Marrakech."  
  
"OK, I'll take him. Doesn't seem to be a mighty opponent."  
  
"Be careful, he's smart and very quick. He catches you in a jiffy!"  
  
"Oh yes, and what will he do to me then? I'm really looking forward to have a brawl with him!"  
  
"Well, give him a nice big kick in the ass from me, then!"  
  
"Sure! Or maybe two."  
  
"Right! But now I've got to go back to my guns, or they won't be there anymore! Have fun!"  
  
With that, O'Connell got back to his tent.  
  
My plan was very easy: wait until it's dark, go to Gabor's tent, wait 'til he's asleep, get into the tent and get the food, run for it. Well, it wasn't perfect, but at least I had one. 


	2. Fighting the rat

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy or any of it's characters.***  
  
When you're hungry, ten hours are an eternity. But now it was 11 pm and I was close to Gabor's tent. He was still sitting in front of his tent, eating stuff and reading a book.  
  
He closed the book, and some minutes later, he turned off the light. (After I had watched him undress to his underwear. . yummy. .) I waited about twenty minutes 'til he was asleep and entered the tent. I started looking around carefully. The tent was almost empty apart from Gabor's bed. But what was that? There was a bag lying under the bed. I got down on my knees and opened it, careful not to wake the sleeping man. Bingo! It was the food he was keeping! I took out some oranges and apples and stuffed it into my pocket. Damn! I had dropped a very big apple, which produced a muffled noise. But surely not loud enough to wake somebody up. I let my hand slip into the bag one more time. . And something took grip of my wrist!  
  
"What have we here?" a squeaky and nasal voice asked.  
  
Gabor sat up quickly.  
  
"A little thief, huh? Come on, give it back to good old Beni!"  
  
"Why should I? You stole it, too! It's not yours, anyway!"  
  
"Well, I think I have to hurt you, then. ."  
  
He pushed me to the floor. Dirty coward! He could only fight, when his opponent was on the floor already. Gabor swung back to kick me. Big mistake. Now I kicked him where it really hurt. He fell to the floor, with pain on his face.  
  
"You bastard! I'll get you!" he moaned.  
  
"And what will you do then?" I asked, as I got up.  
  
I didn't wait for his answer. I ran out of the tent and tried to get away. But I didn't get far. Gabor caught up with me in no time and jumped on me. I tried to stand up, but he held my ankle. I turned on my back to see, what he was up to. He was panting and red with fury, as far as I could see in the dim light of the nearby campfire.  
  
"Say your prayers!"  
  
He took a small knife from his pocket and began crawling up to my throat. When he let go off my leg, I used the chance to roll him over, so that I was the one sitting on HIM. He lost his knife.  
  
"Fattyù!" he cursed.  
  
So he was actually Hungarian. He had just called me "bastard" How nice. . He still seemed to think I was a man, an easy mistake, since I was the only female legionnaire in the whole garrison and my cap hid my shoulder-length hair. My voice was also quite deep, so that people usually thought I was a man. But I really didn't want to tell Gabor, that he was mistaken. Most legionnaires hadn't seen a woman for ages, and so it was quite dangerous to reveal this fact to them. .  
  
I was sitting on him, so that he couldn't get to his knife. But what now? Run away again? No, he would chase after me, and the game would go on. I also couldn't sit on him all night long. I could reach for the knife and kill the little rat, but a couple of old oranges weren't worth that. Suddenly I received a punch into my face and fell down. Next second Gabor was sitting on top of me, a sadistic smile on his lips.  
  
"Looks as if the tables have turned!" Suddenly he sounded very confident. "Let's see what our little thief has stolen."  
  
He reached into my pocket and took the fruits out of it.  
  
"Well done! Unfortunately, you didn't succeed. .. Do you think I'll let go of you now?" he sneered.  
  
"Err. . . Yes?"  
  
"No!" he grinned and reached for the knife. "Don't worry it won't hurt. But maybe. . yeah, sorry, it probably will! I don't know, I never had the pleasure to die!" He put up that sadistic smile again.  
  
He got careless when he praised himself. I used my chance again and pushed him off me. I had to kill him, it was the only way. He would kill me otherwise. I got up and tried to flee on more time. But of course, he pushed me down again, just when I reached the campfire. Again he was on top of me, this time not wasting time with sneering. He held the knife right to my throat.  
  
"Now you'll pay for it, bastard!"  
  
This time, I couldn't flee. He had pinned me to the ground and I couldn't move. I knew I would die, unless Gabor wasn't man enough to cut my throat. But his nasty smile told me, that he was brave enough for that. I closed my eyes for I didn't want my murderer's face to be the last thing, my eyes should see. . . . I waited for the cut, and the pain that would follow. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes again. Gabor was looking at me, confused. He took the knife away, lifted my head, and pulled my cap off. My hair appeared. Even more confused, he slid off my chest and opened the first buttons of my shirt.  
  
"You. . You are a girl!" He seemed to be shocked by that fact.  
  
"Yes, have I ever said something different?"  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, I ran here, when you chased after me."  
  
"No, I mean, what are you doing in the legion?"  
  
"There's no law saying women can't join it. They just seldom do so."  
  
He got off me. At last.  
  
"A girl. Funny that I didn't notice. ." he muttered to himself.  
  
I sat up. Obviously, he didn't want to kill me anymore.  
  
"I'm sorry about the knife and stuff. I just don't like to be stolen from."  
  
"According to O'Connell, you are familiar with stealing."  
  
"O'Connell? You. . You know O'Connell?" he got nervous.  
  
"Yes, you could say that he's a buddy of mine."  
  
"A buddy?" he went even paler than he naturally was "Listen, I didn't want to kill you! I swear! I just wanted to scare you! Please, please don't tell O'Connell about it!"  
  
"Well, O'Connell will surely want to know, how things turned out. And I'm a bad liar, especially when I'm hungry. ." Hi, hi. . gotcha!  
  
"Oh no. here!" he gave me the fruits I had stolen from him "Here, take them! Take them! Just don't tell O'Connell!"  
  
"OK, I'll do my best."  
  
"Thanks! I'm going to bed now. It'll be a tough day tomorrow! So long, err. ."  
  
"Jadviga. Known to everybody as "Jad"."  
  
"Jadviga? Are you Hungarian?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"I'm Hungarian, too. My name is Beni. Beni Gabor. Oh, I have to go now, good night!"  
  
He walked away and waved goodbye, as if we were old friends. I looked down at the fruits that were lying in front of me and smiled. Sometimes, O'Connell is really useful. . 


	3. A chat with Beni

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy or any of it's characters.**** (Author's note: Do you people read this story? If yes, please review!!!)  
  
The morning came much too early. The fight with Gabor ended around 1 am, and at 5 am we had to get up again. I had really weird dreams that night, like I always have when I don't get enough sleep. The dream was about Budapest, my hometown. It wasn't a dream actually, it was a memory. I dreamt about my parents and my home. I was a small child again, around six or seven years old.  
  
It was the day our neighbors moved out, and with them my best friend Benjamin. I couldn't remember much about him, but I knew that I had really liked him. I was very sad when his family moved to a different place. I remembered that he was a year older than me and that he had blue eyes and dark hair. I was sure that he had become a really handsome man  
  
I nearly fell asleep again at breakfast, if O'Connell hadn't woken me up.  
  
"Well, Jad, did you get what you wanted?"  
  
"Sure, it was child's play!" OK, that was a lie, but I had promised not to tell O'Connell about what really happened.  
  
"So how did you do it?"  
  
"I just waited 'til he was asleep and took some stuff."  
  
"I'd love to see his face when he finds out."  
  
"Yeah, me too!"  
  
Oh no, there he was. Gabor waved to O'Connell. That surprised me a bit, but I thought that he might follow the motto: "If you can't beat your enemy, make friends with him" Gabor was coming over to us.  
  
"Hey O'Connell, someone robbed me yesterday. My best goods are gone!"  
  
O'Connell smiled gloatingly and winked at me.  
  
"Oh what a pity! You can't trust anybody around here!"  
  
"Exactly my words, O'Connell! By the way, why don't you introduce the lovely lady to me?"  
  
It seemed that Beni was a perfect liar - or that he had amnesia.  
  
"Oh, all right, Beni this is Jadviga, Jadviga this is Beni."  
  
"It's a pleasure to me." Beni said with a wink.  
  
He sat down next to me.  
  
"Say O'Connell, when do we get our marching orders? We're stuck in this place for much too long, now."  
  
"As far as I know, we could be leaving for Egypt every day now."  
  
"Why Egypt?" I interrupted.  
  
Beni answered "We are going to Hamunaptra. It's a city full of gold in the middle of the desert. Nobody knows if it really exists, but if it does, we're rich!"  
  
"I thinks that's all fairytales. The only thing we'll get at this place is a sunburn. I bet we don't even find that city." O'Connell said.  
  
"Jadviga, what part of Hungary do you come from?" Beni asked.  
  
"Budapest. Ever been there?"  
  
"Of course, I've been there! That's where I was born! But I haven't been there for ages."  
  
"Beni, I always wanted to know what you are here for." O'Connell asked.  
  
I was grateful for that, for I didn't want to talk to Beni any longer. After all, he tried to kill me last night!  
  
"Ah, you know I've got quick hands"  
  
That meant "I'm a pick-pocket" in criminals' jargon.  
  
"I got caught robbing a synagogue. Lots of good stuff in them holy places; churches, temples, mosques, and who's guarding them?  
  
"Altar boys?" O'Connell supposed.  
  
"Exactly! I speak seven languages, including Hebrew, so my specialty was synagogues. When they caught me, they said that I could either choose prison or the legion and I chose the latter. What about you O'Connell? What are you here for?"  
  
"I was just looking for a good time!"  
  
"Oh. . . yes. What about you, Jadviga?"  
  
Damn, did I really have to talk to that little weasel?  
  
"I robbed one of those rich tourists, she caught me, et voila, I was here. Still better than prison."  
  
"Yes, true, true. But. . It's at least a bit colder in prison, I'm melting here!"  
  
Beni took of his cap, pearls of sweat were running down his forehead already, although the hottest hours of the day still lay ahead.  
  
"It's winter in Budapest right now" Beni sighed and stroked through his dark hair. "How I'd love to be there. It's probably even snowing!"  
  
Snow is something you forget about completely, when you're in the desert. You consider it impossible, that there's a place on earth cold enough for ice and snow.  
  
"Will you stop talking about snow now!? That's torture!" O'Connell moaned.  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
"Oh, Jesus, I have to go now! I must get back to my guns. Beni, Jad, see you later!"  
  
With that, he left. He left me alone with Beni. ( Hooray! )  
  
"Ha, it worked! He didn't notice that we already know each other." Beni said happily. "Don't your like your breakfast? You not even touched it." He almost sounded like my mother.  
  
"I'm too tired to eat. You were really strenuous!"  
  
"Yeah, it was a fierce battle!" he chuckled.  
  
I turned and looked at him. I never really studied him, but now I saw that I had not missed much. He was even scrawnier than I had thought. His water- blue eyes were too big for his gaunt face. His lips were quite big and were hemmed about by his thin moustache, that looked like it was drawn onto his face. He also had a awful haircut; his hair was shaved short up to his ear and the upper part was a page-boy cut. But his teeth were the most repulsive thing of Beni Gabor. They were healthy, but so short that you could see his gums when he smiled. That was nothing he could change, but it was still repulsive. But I was almost sure, that I had seen that face before.  
  
*************** 


	4. Happy couple?

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy or any of its characters (sighs. . . ). They belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Pictures, and some others, I suppose. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.*** (Author's note: Thanks to all the reviewers!!!)  
  
The next day passed quickly. We had to do target practice at the provisional shooting range, we had built some weeks ago.  
  
Most of the legionnaires didn't need firing-practice. Their dark past had taught them everything about guns, they needed to know. O'Connell was the expert of them all, although his past wasn't that dark. Beni Gabor apparently was the only one, who had no idea of how to use a rifle. Even loading the rifle was a big problem to him, and he missed his target with a remarkable frequency. When he noticed, that I was watching him, he said with a smile:  
  
"You know, I'm much better with the knife than with the gun." He laughed, as if he had made a brilliant joke.  
  
The little weasel was more and more getting on my nerves. He followed O'Connell like a pet all day long. Poor Rick must have felt paranoid. Maybe Gabor thought, I might forget my promise not to tell Rick about the fight. That's why I thought his "joke" was supposed to be a warning. I really tried to avoid Gabor, but I was Rick's friend and as long as Gabor stuck to him, I had to put up with the rat.  
  
In the evening Gabor was sitting next to Rick by the campfire and Rick kept checking that his valuables were still in their place.  
  
I sat as far as I could from Gabor, but still close enough, so that I could talk to Rick. Several other legionnaires were sitting between Beni and me, and I was very grateful for it.  
  
I talked to O'Connell about the training, and unfortunately, Gabor joined our conversation.  
  
"I think, I improved since last time. I hit the target quite a few times!" he said.  
  
"Yeah, I think you gonna be a real gunfighter one day." O'Connell added sarcastically.  
  
Gabor laughed exaggeratedly, obviously trying to hide the fact, that O'Connell's indifference hurt him. The recruits sitting between Gabor and me stood up and left. Gabor noticed and moved closer, so that he was now sitting next to me. A smell of wet skin and sweat was coming from his direction. Disgusting. . . Rick seemed to have noticed it, too, for he was turning up his nose.  
  
Gabor had brought along his bag, the same bag I had stolen the fruits from. He opened it and the stench of rotting fruits mixed with the smell of Gabor's sweat. I suddenly felt very sick. . . He fished something out of the bag and closed it (at last), then he showed this something to us. It was an old necklace, apparently a very cheap one. Its fake gold-color had vanished partially, which made it look even shabbier. He had probably stolen it from one of the whores he slept with . . .  
  
"This is some very antique piece of jewelry, very hard to find. Probably worth a fortune, but I would give it to you almost for free, O'Connell," he said.  
  
"What would I need a necklace for, right here in the middle of the desert?" Rick asked.  
  
"Well, you could give it to your lovely girlfriend. . . " He looked at me. Rick followed his gaze.  
  
"No! No, she's not my girlfriend, we're only friends! In a platonic way, I mean." Rick said quickly. We both blushed slightly.  
  
"Oh, I see . . . " Beni had apparently lost the thread. "So you're not interested in buying it, are you?"  
  
"No, definitely not."  
  
"OK, then . . . . . . I think it's pretty late, anyway. I'm going to bed. 'Night."  
  
He left. Maybe he was annoyed, because we hadn't bought what he had offered to us. Or maybe he was confused by the fact, that I wasn't O'Connell's girl. Whatever it was, we were thankful for it . . .  
  
"Oh thank God, he's gone! I thought he would stay forever!" I said, feeling immensely relieved.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean . . . What was all this "I-thought-she-was-your- girlfriend" stuff about? Do we look like a couple or what?" 


	5. Dream or reality?

***Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or its characters. They belong to Stephen Sommers, Universal Pictures, and some others, I suppose. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.***  
  
(Author's note: Thanks to all reviewers!!!!)  
  
********************  
  
I slept well that night, so I was fully awake the next morning, going to breakfast as hungry as a bear. I sat down next to O'Connell, who, surprisingly, sat there all alone. Without Beni. Rick seemed to be in a good mood, the reason for it certainly being Beni's absence.  
  
"Isn't it a great morning, Jad? A totally Beni-free morning!"  
  
"Yeah, that's really great. By the way, do you know where the little scumbag is?"  
  
"I don't know. Colonel Camus called for him this morning."  
  
"Maybe he'll be expelled, if we're lucky.  
  
But then I heard a very familiar, nasal voice, shouting:  
  
"Hey O'Connell, I've got some great news!"  
  
OK, this sounded much to happy for a guy, who got expelled. And there he came.  
  
"I have to leave my single-tent, because they need the space for some new recruits, who'll arrive tomorrow. Now, guess whom I'll share my tent with from now on!"  
  
"Err. . ."  
  
"With you! Isn't that great?"  
  
O'Connell nearly choked on the scrambled eggs he was chewing.  
  
"Why. . . why do they send you to me of all people? I mean, there are so many other tents!" O'Connell said, when he was able to speak again.  
  
"They are all fully occupied, my dear friend. It's so cool that I'm sharing my tent with somebody I like. Well, I think I gotta pack my things now. See you later!" With that, he left.  
  
O'Connell went pale.  
  
"It was only some kind of nightmare, wasn't it, Jad? Please say it was!"  
  
"No, sorry, I think you're awake."  
  
"Arrgh! Every time a day starts nice and friendly, it always has a bad surprise up its sleeve! I bet this sleazeball snores. . ."  
  
"Probably. I'm really sorry for you, you know."  
  
"Then help me!"  
  
"Help you? How can I help you?"  
  
"Well, you could offer him to come to your tent for example."  
  
"Err. . .no. No chance!"  
  
"I thought so."  
  
******************  
  
We passed the rest of the day with waiting, as usual. Waiting for marching orders, which we, of course, didn't get. So we just sat there, killing time (although I think, Rick would have loved to kill Beni instead). Now that Beni had moved to O'Connell's tent, he was always with him.  
  
I went to bed early that night, for I didn't feel like talking to O'Connell, with his Siamese twin at his side. I had the same dream again that night, although it was now clearer and more detailed than last time.  
  
Again, I was a small child. I ran out of our house, looking for Benjamin. When I left the house, I saw a big wagon standing in front of our neighbors' home. It was loaded with all kinds of furniture, and most of the family's children were sitting in the front part. I looked around and saw Benjamin standing by the front door of his home. He noticed me, smiled, and waved at me. He started running towards me, but his mother grabbed him, lifted him up and put him onto the wagon. He turned around on his seat, looked at me and started to cry. In this precise moment, the horses in front of the wagon started to move and pulled it out of sight, and with it my friend Benjamin. I ran back into the house, to my mother. I told her what had happened and asked:  
  
"Are Beni and his family going on holiday? When will they be back?"  
  
"They won't come back, love, they moved to a different place."  
  
"Why? Didn't they like their old house?"  
  
"They did like it, but they can't afford it anymore, it's too expensive."  
  
"But Beni can still visit me, right?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid he can't, darling."  
  
"But he's my best friend!"  
  
"You'll find some new friends, love."  
  
~  
  
~  
  
I woke up. The dream had really confused me. Why did I call Benjamin "Beni"? Did I really call him that when I was young, or was it just an illusion, caused by Gabor's constant presence? 


	6. Nobody likes you, Beni!

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy or any of its characters. They belong to Stephen Sommers, Universal Pictures, and other people. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.***  
  
*************  
  
The next morning, I was almost sure that I had been mistaken. I always called Benjamin "Benjamin". Never Beni. Never.  
  
O'Connell looked absolutely whacked at breakfast.  
  
"Say, Rick, how was your first night with Beni?"  
  
"Don't ask me, Jad. Just don't ask me."  
  
"Did he snore?"  
  
"No, he didn't snore. He didn't sleep at all, for he was talking all night long!"  
  
"Oh dear. . ." Poor Rick.  
  
"Hey, O'Connell!" a shrill voice shouted.  
  
"Oh no," Rick groaned, "Please say, that he isn't coming over to us right now!"  
  
I looked over to Beni, who was already on his way to our table.  
  
"Sorry, Rick, he does."  
  
"Fine! Would you mind me shooting him?"  
  
I didn't reply, for the answer was clear.  
  
"Hey Rick," Beni said as he arrived at our table, "How did you sleep last night? I didn't snore or something, did I?"  
  
Rick grumbled something in answer. And Beni kept talking.  
  
"Boy, I'm so hungry! Hey Rick, if you don't want to eat that, give it to me, please."  
  
Rick looked like he was going to explode any second now. I had to do something.  
  
"Do you want to eat it, Beni, or sell it?" I said, trying to defuse the situation.  
  
Beni smiled. "Maybe both." O'Connell picked at his food, trying not to listen to Beni.  
  
"Hey Rick, how about a little training today? I could do with some practice, you know."  
  
Rick tried to stay calm. "Beni I don't want to practice today."  
  
"Well, I could help you cleaning your guns, then."  
  
"No, thank you."  
  
"And how about. . ."  
  
"LISTEN GABOR!!! I NEITHER WANT TO GO TRAINING WITH YOU, NOR WORK WITH YOU, NOR ANYTHING ELSE! IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, YET: I DON'T LIKE YOU! NOBODY DOES! NOW BEAT IT!"  
  
There was deathly silence in the whole canteen-tent. I had never seen Rick freak out like that before, so I was shocked as well. He stood up.  
  
"What are you looking at!?" he shouted at the staring legionnaires, and left.  
  
I turned to look at Beni, expecting him to be scared stiff. But he wasn't. He was crying. He didn't sob, but tears were running down his cheeks. Somehow I felt terribly sorry for him. . . 


	7. A friend from the past

***Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or any of its characters. They belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Pictures and some others, I suppose. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.*** (Author's note: Thanks to all the reviewers! I'm sorry for the bad language in the last chapter. I've changed it now!)  
  
*********************  
  
O'Connell didn't talk much that day. He just sat there, cleaning his guns, and I thought it was better to leave him alone. I was really worried about Beni. He didn't show up at lunch and nobody knew where he had gone. I was quite sure that I knew where he was, though. So I went to his old, still unoccupied tent to comfort him a bit. And sure enough, he was there.  
  
"Beni?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Are you OK?  
  
"That's none of your business! You don't wanna know, anyway." Beni sounded like he was going to burst into tears. "O'Connell is right! Nobody cares about me! Nobody ever did, and nobody ever will!"  
  
I sat down next to him.  
  
"Why is the tent still empty? Didn't you say, they needed it for some new recruits?"  
  
"I made that up, OK? I thought, I could make friends with O'Connell, so I moved to his tent. He was always so friendly, I thought he liked me. . ."  
  
"Maybe he does, in a way. But you clung to him like a leech and he didn't like that."  
  
"Yeah, I know! I always mess things up!" He wiped his eyes. I took his hand and squeezed it a bit. He lifted his head and looked at me. Now I could see, that he had actually been crying. His eyes were swollen and his face looked wet with tears. But suddenly he gave a light smile.  
  
"There was a time when I had friends, though. When I was a child and lived in Budapest, I mean. But when I grew up, the other boys didn't accept me anymore, for I wasn't as tall and strong as they were. And suddenly I was all alone. Oh God, I sound so pathetic. Like an old man telling people about his miserable life!"  
  
"By the way, how old are you?"  
  
"23."  
  
"You're about my age, then. Much to young to say that your life's all over!"  
  
"Yes, I know. It's just that I'd love to have some friends."  
  
"I know what you mean. I never had many friends, either."  
  
We just sat there for a while, saying nothing.  
  
" "You'll find some friends, Beni, don't worry." . . .Oh mom, you were wrong." Beni mumbled.  
  
"That's exactly what my mother said, the day. . ." I hesitated. Should I really share my memories with this guy? ". . .The day, my best friend left our neighborhood. I was still a small child, then. My friend was called Benjamin and we spent much time together. But then he moved to another place and I never saw him again."  
  
Beni didn't say anything. He just stared at me. Then he said:  
  
"You. . . Your friend was called . . . Benjamin?"  
  
"Yes, why do you ask?"  
  
"What was his. . . last name?"  
  
"I don't know. It was a long time ago. . . "  
  
"What did he look like?"  
  
"He had dark hair and blue eyes, that's all I remember. ~ . . .No, wait a minute! I think his last name was Gabor."  
  
"So his name was Benjamin Gazsi Gabor"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you are Jadviga Szabó ?"  
  
"Yes, how do you know that?"  
  
He got his purse out of his pocket, opened it and showed an ID card to me. "Here, look at that."  
  
The card said:  
  
NAME: GABOR, BENJAMIN GAZSI  
  
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/15/1899  
  
CURRENT PLACE OF RESIDENCE: BUDAPEST/ HUNGARY  
  
. . .  
  
"Say that you've stolen it from someone!"  
  
"I can't. It would be a lie."  
  
I looked at him. So that's what became of my little friend Benjamin, I had missed for so long. He had turned into a filthy thief, with an annoyingly nasal voice, lying to everybody without any twinges of remorse. But still I couldn't help flinging my arms around his neck. . . 


	8. Telling Rick about it

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy or any of its characters. They belong to Stephen Sommers, Universal Pictures and some others. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.***  
  
(Author's note) I'd like to thank all the reviewers! I'm glad that you like my story and hope it will stay that way.  
  
******************  
  
We talked for hours that night, about our past and many other things. We kept on talking till late in the night and every time I was about to leave, Beni asked me to stay. And I stayed. The cold of the desert night made us leave Beni's former, still vacant tent and go to mine. Then we continued to chat. But we knew we couldn't stay up all night long.  
  
"Jadviga?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"May I . . . stay here tonight? I don't want to go to O'Connell's tent. . ."  
  
Oh, that was so cute. Like a little boy asking his mother if he could spent the night at his friend's house. . .  
  
"Of course, you may. But you'll be sorry if you snore!"  
  
And so I shared my bed with a man, who tried to kill me only some days ago. And still, I was happy about it. . .  
  
*************************  
  
I was a bit surprised when I woke up the next morning. I wasn't used to the feeling of waking up in the arms of a man, and even less used to the feeling of waking up in Beni's. I turned over to look at him. He really looked kind of cute when he was asleep. Not like the treacherous thief he was, but like the child I had known so many years ago. I reached out to touch him, but in the same second he opened his eyes.  
  
"Good morning!" he said, smiling.  
  
"Morning" I replied, giving him an amicable kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Oh, that's a nice way to be greeted in the morning." He kissed me back.  
  
Beni stood up, put on his uniform and went over to O'Connell to get his things. In the meantime, I got dressed. Some minutes later, Beni came back.  
  
"O'Connell wasn't there. Maybe he's at the canteen already. . ."  
  
Oh yes, O'Connell. . . It would be hard to explain all this to him. . .  
  
Beni and I went to breakfast together. And sure enough, O'Connell was already sitting there. I sat down.  
  
"Hi, Rick!"  
  
"Hi, Jad! Where have been yesterday? I haven't seen you all day."  
  
Then Beni sat down next to me. O'Connell narrowed his eyes.  
  
"YOU? What are YOU doing here? Didn't I tell you to BEAT IT?" he growled.  
  
Beni bowed his head.  
  
"It's okay Rick," I said quickly "He's here with me."  
  
"Don't tell me he's your lover now!"  
  
"No, he's not. It's different."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"Well, Beni and I had a little conversation yesterday, in which we found out that we once were very close friends."  
  
"And you believe that?"  
  
"I don't believe it, I know it!"  
  
"Oh, come on, Jad! That's impossible and you know it. There are probably thousands of Beni Gabors out there. . ."  
  
"But only one Benjamin Gazsi Gabor. That's how my friend was called and that's how HE'S called." I pointed at Beni.  
  
Rick didn't answer. Maybe he was running out of arguments.  
  
"And what stupid kind of name would GAZSI be?"  
  
"That's Hungarian and means: "The one who protects the treasure""  
  
"Doesn't fit him. He would rather steal it than protect it. . ."  
  
O'Connell started to grin. It seemed as if he wasn't angry anymore. . . 


	9. The triple date

***Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy or any of its characters. They belong to Stephen Sommers, Universal Pictures and some others. I do, however, own the character of Jadviga Szabó and parts of the plot.***  
  
(Author's note) Sorry for the lack of updates! There was much school work to be done in the last few weeks, so I didn't have the time to continue the story. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. I had some difficulties with translating it, so there might be some mistakes. OK, so now back to the story.  
  
******************  
  
In the next days I spent much time with Beni, but I also spent more time with Rick again. Rick wasn't angry with Beni anymore, and Beni was glad about it. Now I didn't have to neglect neither one of them, when I wanted to spend time with the other. We simply did everything together. One morning, it was Friday, Rick told us some great news.  
  
"We get the weekend off!"  
  
"That's fantastic!" I said.  
  
"Yes it is!" Beni agreed, "I waited for this for ages. I'm running out of supplies!" he added with a wink.  
  
I smiled. I knew what supplies he was talking about. . . But I thought they had forgotten another possibility this weekend-off gave them.  
  
"You'll be able to meet some girls in town, too. I think that's exactly what you two need."  
  
"Oh. . . I wasn't planning on that" Beni answered "I thought we would spend the time together."  
  
"Yeah, me too. Not that I'm not interested in some female company, but most of the girls you meet in town are, you know, hussies. . . " Rick said.  
  
"What do you mean with "female company"? I'm female, too, O'Connell!" I said, a little annoyed.  
  
"No, no! That's not to say you're not feminine or something! Let me put it this way: I'd rather be with you, than with any other girl I might meet in town. OK?" Rick said quickly.  
  
"OK, I accept your apology ." I remarked, with fake severity. I tried to make a strict face, too, but I had to laugh. Rick and Beni laughed along.  
  
"So we're going to have a triple-date then?" Beni asked, amused.  
  
"Looks like it. But no fights over me, right? I answered, laughing.  
  
***************  
  
In the evening, we were allowed to leave the camp. It was the first time in ages that I wore civilian dress and it felt fantastic. I wore a nice red dress that went down to my knees and high-heeled shoes. I got rid of my cap, which had covered my hair in the last few months and let my hair hang down. During all the time I had spent in the foreign legion I had nearly forgotten how great it was to be really ladylike. When I arrived at the bar in Marrakech, where we had appointed, Rick and Beni were quite amazed by my looks.  
  
"Wow, Jadviga, looks like you've got plans for tonight!" Beni said.  
  
"Maybe. . . " I replied, smiling.  
  
"I think we should keep an eye on you, Jad. Otherwise the guys around here might get some silly ideas." Rick said, with a meaningful look on his face.  
  
"So, what kind of silly ideas might they get?"  
  
"They might give you the come-on for example."  
  
"Well, you shouldn't give them the chance, then, huh? So you better should keep me busy."  
  
"What about a drink, first?" Beni suggested.  
  
"A good start" I agreed.  
  
So we ordered something. But I was already drunk: drunk with freedom. I was in a great mood. The "Green Widow" I was drinking, a cocktail, took care of the rest. Nearby, a record player was playing some music. Fortunately, it wasn't Arabian but English music.  
  
"Wanna dance with me, Jad?" Rick asked. The record player was playing a fast Charleston.  
  
"Of course!" I answered, following him onto the dance floor.  
  
We danced fast and wildly, and had a great time together. We both weren't good dancers, but even though our dancing must have looked rather stupid, we enjoyed ourselves. Dancing with Rick was fun. I forgot about the world around me and loved it. All the negative things in my life seemed so far away, they simply didn't fit in this moment. It felt even better, as it was Rick I was sharing this moment with. He wasn't one of these guys, who are nice to you for a couple of hours, trying to get you into bed. No, it was Rick, one of my best friends. I could trust him. It made it easier for me to enjoy all this, than I would have done with a different partner. The rhythm, the melody, our movements. . . all of this intoxicated me in such a wonderful way, that I hoped it would never end. But unfortunately it did much too soon. At the end of our dance we were sweat-through and completely out of breath. So we walked back to our table were Beni was waiting with a reproachful look on his face.  
  
"Why didn't you want to dance with ME?"  
  
"You didn't ask me to. But the next dance is yours, I promise." I snickered. It seemed like someone was jealous here.  
  
But first of all I needed a little breather. I ordered another drink, this time a non-alcoholic one and listened to the music. When the song ended, the owner of the bar changed the record. Beni stood up.  
  
"Miss Szabó, would you do me the honor of following me onto the dance floor?" he bowed to me and offered me his hand.  
  
I laughed. "Oh with pleasure, Mr. Gabor!" I took his hand and we walked over to the dance floor.  
  
The music was now much slower than before, so we danced blues, cheek to cheek. Being so close to Beni was a strange feeling. We were friends now, but if someone would have told me a few days ago that I would dance with Beni one day, I would have told the person to go and see a shrink. But I liked it, I liked it very much. Beni was a part of my past, a nice part of my past. He reminded me of how happy I once was, how secure I once felt. I liked my life as a legionnaire, but it wasn't quite the same. Now that Beni was so close to me I felt secure again. He gave me the support I needed.  
  
The song ended and we parted. Beni smiled at me and I smiled back, a bit unsure. Something about my feelings confused me and I didn't know what it was. I turned to our table and saw Rick sitting there, frowning and looking extremely morose. But I was much too puzzled to realize why. . . 


End file.
